Machine for making toothpicks.



No. 654,260. Pat'enied July 24. I900. E. H. JOHNSON,

MACHINE FOR MAKING TOOTHPICKS.

(Application filed July 27, 1898.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I,

No. 654,260. Patented July 24, I900.

E. H. JOHNSON.

MAOHlNE FOR MAKING TOOTHPICKS.

. A umion filed July 37, 1898.) (No Model.) 3 $heets-Sheat 2,

qmTves eg: R4 P pToff NiTnn TATES EDGAR II. JOHNSON, OF MARION, INDIANA,ASSIGNOR TO THE JOHNSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF INDIANA.

MACHINE FOR MAKING TOOTHPICK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 654,260, dated July 24,1900. Application filed July 27. 188. Serial No- 687,001. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDGAR H. Jonnson, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Marion, Grant county, Indiana, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Toothpicksand Butchers Skewers, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a machine that will manufacturea toothpick or a butchers skewer which will be smooth throughout itsentire length and will be pointed at both ends; and the inventionconsists in the novel construction of the parts and devices and thenovel combination of the parts and devices, as is set forth in theclaims thereof.

Reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a side elevation of the working side of the machine. Fig. 2 is anenlarged detail View of one of the cutter-heads. Fig. 3 is a transversesectional View of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the gearing sideof the machine. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional elevation of the machine.Fig. 6 is a plan detail of one of the arms which carry the cutter-headshafts. Fig. 7 is an end view of the end from which the stock issupplied to the machine. Fig. 8 is a detail section of the frame. Fig. 9is atransverse detail of. the section of the frame. Fig. 10 is adetailshowing the method of cutting the picks from the stock. Fig. 11 is aside View of Fig. 10. Fig.

12 is a View on line 12 12 of Fig. 10. Fig. 13 is a detail of one of theeccentrics.

The wood S, from which the picks are to be cut, is prepared in long flatstrips of suitable width and thickness, and it is fed to the machineupon the table or bracket B and is engaged and fed forward by two setsof positively-driven feed-rollers R and R, which feed the strips to thecutter-heads O and O, which are mounted in arms 0 and O pivoted in theframe and are moved to and from the stock-strip while the cutters areacting upon it. The cutters of the cutter-heads are so shaped that theycut the stock-strip into small longitudinal strips, as is shown by Figs.10, 11, and 12, and the movement of the heads to and from the stockcauses the cutters at intervals to cut deeper into the stock, causingthe bottoms of the grooves of the cutters to cut away almost entirelythe stock-strip at certain points, indicated by W.) After passing thecutter-heads the strips are drawn forward gently by the rubber-facedfeed-rolls D, which deliver the strips to the cutting-01f rollers E andE, which are positively driven and so timed that the cutting-blades 6always out the strips at the points W, which completes the picks.

The cutter-heads O and O are offset from each other a little at the lineof contact with the stock-strip S to permit the cuttersedges to passthrough the stock-strip without com ing in contact with the cutters ofthe other head and to allow a presser-foot to hold the stock while thecutters are doing their work.

The movement of each'cutter-head to and from the stock-strip is so timedthat the swells and depressions on each side of the stockstrip areopposite to eachother, and in connection with this movement the rollerE,with its cutter-blades e, is positively timed to cut the strips at thepoints W. The stock-strip S is engaged on each side of the cutter-headsO and O by the presser-feet P and P,-which are held 'in contact by theweighted levers P and P provided with stops P and P resting upon theframe. Presser-foot P follows the swells and depressions in thestock-strip made by cutter O and also servesas a plate for the lowercutter O to out against.

The cutter-heads are made each of four circular grooved cutters Omounted upon spindles O held in a plate (3 upon the shaftO A plate Ofits over theends of thespindle and is made to clamp the cutters by thenuts O. The circular cutters O are notched or cutaway at O to produce acutting edge, and pins O are fixed into the plate O, towhich the cuttingedges of the cutters are always set. This form of cutter has manymerits. The several cutters are turned accurately alike, and then thenotches are milledout and the cutters hardened and ground and thenslipped on the spindles and set to the pins and clamped, and thus theyare always balanced, and when dull the four cutters are taken off andslipped upon one spindle, bringing their cutting edges in line, and theythen The arms C and G which support and carry cutter-head shafts, arepivoted in the frame by the conical-pointed screws 0 and C and themovement of the arms in carrying the cutter-heads toward the stock isproduced by the longitudinally-moving bars F and F, provided with theinclined surfaces F and F acting against the screws or stops F and Ffixed in the arms C and C Surfaces F and F are shaped to give thedesired form to the article being made. The longitudinal movement of thebars is produced by the cocentrics l3 and F fixed upon shaft G. The arms(3 and O are moved away from the stripstock by the spring 0 Thepresser-feet P and P are fixed to bars P and P", which are bent downwardand are fastened to two sets of split collars P and P upon the innerends of the boxes of the arms which carry the cutter-head shaft for thecutter-head C, and the ends of these boxes are made round for thispurpose and also for passing through the frame members. (See Fig. 8.)Thus the presser-feet P and P are pivoted upon a center corresponding tothe axis of cutter-head 0.

Power is applied to the shaft of the cutterhead 0' by the pulley J, anda gear J on this shaft engages and drives a gear J 2 on shaft ofcutter-head 0. Power is also applied to the machine by belt-wheel H anddriving-shaft G, and shaft K is driven from shaft G by the sprocket K,chain K, and sprocket K Shaft K drives the rubber feed-rolls through themedium of the sprocket K", chain K and sprocket K on the shaft of one ofthe rolls, the other'roll being driven from this shaft by a set of smallgears hidden by sprocket K Shaft K also drives shaft E through themedium of gear K and gear K and gear K drives gear K upon shaft E whichis shaft of roll E, and cutting-off roll E is driven by gear E engaginggear K. The shaft E drives shaft B through the medium of sprocket Rchain It, and sprocket R and shaft It drives the feed-rolls R and Bthrough the medium of the gears R, R R R, and R The two sets offeed-rolls R and R are held in elastic connection with the stock S bythe screw R engaging a rubber block R bearing upon a block in contactwith the boxes of the roll-shafts.- The two sets of rolls are providedin order to insure a positive feed of the stock-strip, that it mayregister properly with the cutter-heads and cutting-off rolls.

In place of the devices, means, or mechan ism that I have shown toperform the work I may use any device, means, or mechanism suitable forthe purpose, as described, and many parts and devices of my inventionmay be used with other machines varying widely from the machine hereshown, and I desire to be protected in any application that may be madeof them.

What I claim is-- 1. The combination of a table, a positivelydriven,rotary, vertically-adjustable V corrugating cutter-head above the table,means to force a stock-strip beneath said cutter-head, presser-feetpivotally supported by the cutter-head shaft and acting beneath thecutterhead upon opposite sides thereof, and a second similar cutter-headprojecting from below through the table and acting beneath one of saidpresser-feet.

2. The combination with the stock-feeding rollers, of the corrugatingcutter-heads one slightly in advance of the other, a rotary transversecutter parallel to the rollers and cutter-heads and at a short distancefrom the latter, means for continuously rotating the feed-rollers andcutter-heads, means for causing the cutter-heads to gradually approachand recede within the path of the stock at regular intervalscorresponding to pick-length advances of the stock, and means for advancing the formed stock to the transverse cutter.

3. The combination ofa corrugating cutter head mounted upon alaterally-moving shaft, a presserfoot pivotally supported by said shaftand acting at one side of its vertical plane, and means to yieldinglyurge the rotation of the presser foot about the shaft, whereby thepresser-foot While moving bodily with the shaft may yet always pressupon the work beneath the cutter.

at. The combination of a laterally moving shaft carrying a rotarycutter-head, a presser= foot pivotally supported by said shaft andworking at one side of its vertical plane, an arm connected to theresser-foot, a weight adjustable upon said arm and tending to swing thepresser-foot to its work, and a stop limiting the swinging.

5. The combination of cutter-heads revolubly mounted in the free ends ofarms pivot ally fixed at their opposite ends and forming with thecutter-heads swinging members, Iongitudinally-movable bars havinginclined surfaces, adjustable stops projecting from said members againstsaid inclined surfaces, respectively, and eccentrics arranged to slideeach of said bars back and forth at regular intervals.

6. The combination with continuously-rotating, corru gatingcutter-heads, of means for feeding fiat stock-strips between the cutterheads, and means for causing the cutter-heads to gradually approach andretreat while acting upon the strip; whereby the continuouslymovingstrip is formed into successive transverse sets of gradually andoppositely tapering picks.

7. In a toothpick-machine the combination with means for constantlyfeeding a strip many times longer than a pick, of rotarycorrugating-cutters arranged to act continuously to form the striplongitudinally into parallel from each other and within the path of thestrip to vary the amount cut therefrom, and a cut-off device arranged tosever transversely at proper intervals that portion of the strip left bythe cutter-heads, said mechanism; means and device being positivelytimed each with reference to each of the others.

Signed by me at Marion, Indiana, this 21st day of July, 1898.

EDGAR H. JOHNSON. \Vitnesses: v

WILL I-I. TROOK, RALPH H. JOHNSON.

